Employer reference requests
An employer or an employment agency can verify a candidate's academic record by requesting a reference from the University.
Higher Education Degree Datacheck (HEDD)
The University of Leicester uses the Higher Education Degree Datacheck (HEDD) online verification service for employers and agencies to submit employer reference requests. This service is only for third parties and all requests must be submitted using this service.
Employers and agencies wishing to make an enquiry need to register with HEDD and select ‘University of Leicester’ from the list of UK higher education institutions and choose the option to 'verify a degree award'. There is a charge of £14 per enquiry.
If you require further assistance using the online portal, please email heddhelp@prospects.ac.uk.
Submitting a request
Employers and agencies will need provide the following information:
- The candidates name at the time of study
- Date of birth
- Course title
- Qualification
- For graduates you will also need their year of award
- Result/award or grade
We recommend that you ask to see the degree certificate if there is one, and use that as the basis of your verification enquiry.
If you want to verify start dates, please ensure these are requested at the time of making the enquiry.
You will also be required to upload a valid consent form for all verifications that are provided via the HEDD portal.
Character reference
We are unable to comment on a candidate’s academic ability and/or character. The academic department may be able to supply more information of this nature.
Current and former students
If you are a current or former student needing to submit confirmation of your study to an employer or third party we can help in the following ways:
- Current registered students can download a Certificate of Registration
- Current registered international students on Student/Tier 4 visas can also download a Certificate of Employability from the My Uni Documents section of MyStudentRecord
- Former students can request an Award letter.
See Awarding documents for further information about requesting documents for award verification.